Cutting machine



July l0, 1928.

H. L. GLIDDEN CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 10,'1922 though various Patented July 10, 1928.

Unire fr HARVEY L. GLIDDEN, 0E NEEDHAM HEIGHTS, MASSACHuSisiTTiS,V AssreNoE To HNTTED v SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, or ,PATEHSCNVNEW JERSEY, A conronATIoNoE NEW JERSEY.

Application led .Tul'yr 10,`

vThis invention relates to cutting `machines 'and more particularly to machines for cut-k tin sheet material into strips. j he invention is illustratively shown ein- `5 bodied in a stripping machine of the type set forth in yUnited 'States Letters Patent No. l1,161,038, granted Nov. 23, 1915, on ap'- plication of H; H. Eaton, designed for cutting leather, leather-board and the like, al'- features o-f the inventionare not limited to the embodiment in a machine of this type or to use in cutting such material. f

As heretofore constructed, machines of the 15 type referred to have required considerable attention on thepart of the operatorand fre- ',quent adjustments to keep the machine up to even a moderatestandard of efiiciency in cutting operations over any extended period of time. )The difiiculty in securing cleanfcutting of the material with thesemachines re; sides largely in the construction and varrangement of the cutting block which cooperates with the cutter` and receives the thrustI of the cutting edge of the cutter in each cutting operation. Commonly, va wooden block has been used to'V support the stock and to receive the Cutting edge of the knife, After a relatively' few operationsthe lgroove made by the cutting edge of the knife 1s so widened and deepened that clean cutting of the material becomes impossible, Y since the materialis forced down into-the groovev and ragged edges are produced in stead of the clean cut edge which is so eminently desirable. Hence, relatively'frequent and time-'consuming adjustments of the cutting block are necessary, the alternative being the production of unsatisfactory `and evenunsaleable material as a` result of the cutting operations. n 1 It is an object of this invention to provide a cutting blockl which will be especially simple in construction, efficient in operation and free from the deficiencies kand defects which have characterized prior construce tions. Y A

` To this' end, considered in one aspect, the invention provides a cylindrical cutting vblock of felted ber material, the fibers of which bend under the wedging action of the knife without breaking, thusproviding'` an especially efiicicnt cutting surfacelz` Prefer- Aedge :of veach smooth surface for cutting operations yis vcomprises mechanism for 1* rotating a cylin-V -tion, showing an. illustrative embodiment of `the invention.`

CUTTTNG MACHINE.

1922. :serial Nq. 573,775.

ablythe block is composed of-disks with the grains of the disks'pointingiin k"different directions.V lSince the disks are relatively 'thin 'and lare pressed tightlyv together, the 4 v disk' receives support `from those adjacent 'to it 'and thus a-relatively `softer part of one dsk'receives protect-ion from a relatively firmer fgrain part' of :an adjacent disk.y Thev constru'ctionfanfd ar-- rangement'fof the Idisksare-suchthat ay maintained fora remarkably long period vof time. i'

Further to' `facilitateclean cutting'an-dito Y "prolongthe useful life ofthe cutting block, "the invention also provides improvedineans for moving a cuttingblock` such vas 4a cylin` 7u drical block relativelyv to the knife-'after each 'cut-ting operation 'to positionv a *new cutting surface for co-operationjwith the knife. In the'illustrative construction this means drical cutting 4blockstep-bysstep in fone-'direction, the illustrative mechanism being so i constructed as tol effectrot'ative movementsv of vthe block between cuttingr operations in suchmanner as to ensure lthat cutting operations willI be performed over" all of "the cylindrical surface a'pluralityofv times be' .Y fore the vblock is Jagain positioned"for a v repetition of cuttingv 'operations whichV utilize exactly the same portions of the-*block which havejpreviously served in 13o-'operation with the knifeV to cut themateriah Other features of construction and 'novel Y combinations of parts will ,be d'escrib'ed in the specification and' pointed out vin the ap# pended claims. l,

In the drawings 'j Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly in secf j Fig. 2 is .a detail View of themechanism n. for rotating the 'cylindrical cutting block.; and f Fig. kB is a jdetail showin-g the diskswhich compose the cylinder mounted onga *shaft which also carries a gear of the cylinder rotating mechanism. j.

In lthe illustrative machine there is provided .a cross head 6 carrying the knife 8 and reciprocabletoward and fromy 4 ting" block 10 by linear-1sv of rods v1'27vvl1i`jh so i carry the crosshead and which are reciprorecess 16 extending transversely thereof directly below and in alignment with the knife 8,. Theconstruction and operation of these partsV of the illustrative machine are as set forth in the Letters Patent before referred to and reference may be had tosaid Letters Patent for more detailed disclosure of the construction and operation of parts not fully described herein. V

Mounted in this recess is the cutting block 10 which, in the illustrative construction is acylindrical block of felted fiber material consisting'of wood pulp, cotton rags, and a relatively small percentage of leather scrap finely divided. This material isy reduced to a pulpmand is made into sheets of felted materialin a manner that is similar to the manufacture of cardboard and fiber board. A preponderance of the fibers are pointed in one direction so that the fiber board has a distinct grain andhence one edge of the board, the grain edge, is firmer than another edge. In making a block, the fiber board ,is first cut into disks 18 with vperforations in the middle so that the said disks may be strung upon an iron rod which becomesthe shaft 20. The disks are glued and subsequently pressed together with many tons pressure whileY on the rod and, after drying, the 'cylinder is turned to make a `smooth cylindrical` surface. In order to hold `the disks firmly clamped upon the shaftthere is providedv at one end a washer 22 and a nut `E24 which can be turned to clamp the disks as firmly as may be desired, it being preferable to tighten this nut occasionally to .take up anyv shrinkagefdue to drying of the disks. This serves to keep a smooth firm surface on the cutting surface of the cylinder. Vhile in the manufacture of the felted fiber` board a preponderance of the fibers is pointed in one direction, which results in makingithe disk more resistant to the thrust of the knife at one part of its periphery than at another part, the fact that the disks are strung on the rod promiscuously so that their grains extend in differvvent directions radially ofthe block and that i YtheyV are furthermore relatively thin and pressed firmly together accounts for the fact that good results are attained, since in actual practice it is found that all parts of the surface ofthe cylinder stand up equally well underythe thrust of the cutting edge of the I knife. In other words although small portions of the periphery of the block along the line of contact with the knife may be relatively softer than other portions, it is backed up Vand supported by the disks on either side and-this is especially `truesince all of the disks areunder great pressure which is con- `stantly maintained to keep them in proper supporting relation to each other. It is found that the surfaces of the liber cutting g block presents' a co-operating surface for use with the cutter that is highly effective in cutting operations-uponl sheet material of all kinds. This is largelytrue because of the fact that the compressed materialof the fiber block receives the edge of the cutter without too much yielding so that a iirm surface is provided and a clean cut effected yon the sheet material and, further, because the iibers bendunder the wedging action of the cutting edge of the knife without break- `ing as the wood fibers are apt to do under treatment. It has been found that wooden blocks cannot withstand cutting action on the cylindrical surface of the block without splitting or chipping or Wedging the piece from the periphery of the block.` After one revolution of the cylinder and the beginning of a repetition ofthe parallel cuts of the second revolution, the surface of a wood cylinder would almost certainly be damaged to such an extent as to be useless as a cutting surface. Hence, the provision of a liber block and particularly of one constructed in the manner described offers a solution which has marked advantages over anything known heretofore. For supporting the cylinder' there is provided a relatively heavy unyielding member 30 supported at its ends, and at an intermediate point if desired, upon screw threaded members 32 resting upon strong supporting parts, in the frame of the machine, the members 32vbeing adjustable to cause movement of the support 30 in a vertical direction so that as the cutting block 10 is reduced in diameter due to wear, it may be adjusted upwardly in the recess 16 so as to maintain its work supporting surface in the plane of the upper surface of the table 14. Convenient- Vly, the ends of the shaft 2() are mounted lEach roll is mounted rotatably upon a plate 42 which is slidable in a recess 44 in a 'supporting table 46 which is below the table 14. As shown, each block 42 is provided with a slot 48 through which projects a bolt 50 by which the plate is bolted to the supporting table, a screw member 52 being provided for adjusting the block so that the roller 40 will press firmly against the sidev of the cylinder 10, it being understood that the bolt 50 is loosened while the screw mem- *ber is adjusting the block v42, and that subator vand takes time from his work.

'adjustment vcan no longer be delayed. prime advantage of the illustrative autot'h=e adjustment -parallel cuts will be very closely adjacent .each

sequently the bolt 50 is Atightened Ito hold the yroll in place. f f -U'Meansis preferably provided for rotating the cutting block 10 automatically so ,that a new cutting surface is provide'dfor. each cutting operation. Heretofore, meansv Ahas been. provided for `enabling the operator lto. adjustv a cylindrical vcutting roll .by

hand. `This is objectionable, however, for

@several reasons kand more particularly-since it requires attention on the part of the oper- .Moreov-er, the adjustment of the block is usually left'auntil the cutting becomes so poor tha/ matic adjustment results from the fact that can be made so line that the other, whereby any predetermined number ofthe infinite number' of surfaces of the .cylinder can bev made to lserve in -`turn Vas :cutting ysurfaces in co-operation with the-knife-or'cutter y8. Furthermore, when the cuts are thus placed so closely together there Vis room for a slight bendingof the .fibers -due tothe wedging action of the knife edge without such great compression of the -fibers as wouldtend to break them. More- "over, upon continued rotation of the block through .a plurality of complete revolutions,

Y' the outer Vend of the yshaft 64 Vand secured .ranged to cross pin I80A (Fig. 2)

-fiXedly theretov is a ratchet* wheel '66 ar- Iat vthe lower end of a slide 70 reciprocable in a-bearing 72 provided in the frame of the machine or carried by lthe table 14. 'lVhile any `suitable means l'may' be used `to reciprocate the slide ,70 in properly timed relation Y-torlthe cutting operations, that. fshfewnncomprises connections tothe beam 6 zso arranged that the pawl is lifted to turn the ratchet wheel 66 at the'fend ofthe. upward movement of the beam 6. 'As shown,y this mechanism .comprises a bracketS :se`

cured to the beam`6 at'one end and having receivable in .a'slot 82 in the upper end of the slide 70. For

*adjusting the throw ofthe `slide 70 its upper endis provided with a screw threaded opening foi` Ian 'adjustable abutment member 'llgmg tion, on downward movement of 'the cross head 6, there is provided a spring 'pressed y166 be .provided shaft '64, mounted in a bear#v l ing'carri-ed by the pivotedV member 34.. On`

be driven by 'a `pawl 68 carried projectingto engage thegcross pin. For

ythe slide '70 in the 4'opposite ydirec` plunger 90 seated ink a jsocket .member V92 extending downwardly inthe lower end rof the .bracket 94 which may .j form a part of the bearing 72 for the slide 70. For Zlimit-y` ing adjustab'ly the vdownward movement of the slide 70 under the action of the2 spring pressedV plunger 90 there isk lpro-vided the stop 98 which K'consists of a screw threaded bolt which is .adapted to be lockedin place by the lock nut 100. Upon :each reciprocation Aof the cross beam 6 the pawl 68 moves theratchet wheel 66 a distance corresponding to each individual tooth yon thev ratchet wheel, this movement 0f the ratchet wheel being transmitted through the 'small gear 62 and largeV gear. -60 to the. shaft 20 1 of the cutting block 10. In the construcf tion shown, the teeth on the gear 60 num- :ber four times the `number of teeth on the gear 62,' plus one, so that -thejtotal number of teeth on 'the gear 60 'constitutes a. prime number, .thus assuring that-the cylinder block lOwill make several revolutions before the ycutter strikes twice inthe same place on the .cylindrical block; 1f now the ratchet 'with a plurality'` of teeth corresponding to a prime number, such as 5l, it is assured that thecuts 'in the surface of the roll will be close together and evenly the cylindriCalblOCk, and that. repeated rev'- `olutions of the cylindrical :block will take spaced throughout the whole periphery of* l i 10ov` place before cutting the second .timelin'the lsame yplace on the surface `ofthe block. 'One result-of this construction and'mode of operation is found in. a compacting ofthe of :the block that contributes. mate-i surface rizally to its life. However, there is :ay slight loss of substance which yin time reduces the diameter of the block and necessitates its `adjustment with respect to the plane ofthe upper vsurface, of the table 14. 9 This lzadjustment is Very infrequent as compared with the requirements in this particular, of prior constructions.' The wearing away of the block takes '.place'with. great `evenn'essV with cutting blocks as f heretofore `constructed.. y 'Q Y In. operating with the .machine it is necesksary onlythatfthe operator shall place the material on Y proper position beneath the knifeV 8j Each time the treadle is operatedfin the illus- .tra-ted form of stripping machine, the cutter ldescends and' cuts a strip vfrom the material, and upon elevation of the beam the cylindrithe table l4`and present it in `cal block is turned one step to presenta new cutting surface asabove described. It 'will' i be -und-erstoodof course, that the Vcylindnifcal.

'1115 and V,there is no need at any time of a resul. v Vfacing' of the block so common'and necessary block and its operating mechanism may be utilized 1n machines which run continuously to cut blanks from sheet material lfed automatically` to cutting position, and that various important'features of the invention may vhave other applications and uses than those described in connection with the illustrative machine.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Ina machine of the character described, means for cutting sheet material comprising a cutter,'a cutting block for co-operation with the cutter, means for moving the block to present new cutting surfaces to the cutter, means for adjusting the cutting block and itsmoving means toward and from the cutter, and means for maintaining the block and its moving means in engagement in adusted positions.

A 2. In a machine of the character described, a cutter, a crosshead carrying the cutter, a cylindrical block for co-operation with .the cutter, and means controlled by the crosshead for intermittently rotating the block to present a new surface for co-operation with the cutter at each cutting operation during a plurality of revolutions of the block.

3. In a machine of the 'class described', a cutter, a cylindrical cutting block for cooperation with the cutter, means for intermittently rotating the block so as to present a new surface for each cutting operation, means for adjusting the block and its rotatingmeans ina directionrtoward the cutter, and a member constructed and arranged to support the Acutting block and its rotating means Yin engaging relation to each other in adjusted positions.

4. In a machine of the character described, a cutter, a cylindrical cutting blockfor cooperation with the cutter in cutting operations upon sheet material, and means for intermittently rotating the cylindrical block a pluralityof times between repetitions of cuttingroperations on the same cutting surface of the block.

5. In a .machine of the character described, a cutter, a cylindrical block for co-operation with the cutter, and means for rotating the cutter block during movement of the cutter to present a new surface at each cutting operation throughout a predetermined plurality of revolutions of the block.

6. In a machine of the character described, a cutter, a cylindrical cutting block for cooperation with the cutter, a gear secured to the cylindrical block having an odd number of teeth, a second gear for driving the irst gear and having an even number of teeth, a ratchet wheel secured to rotate with the second gear, and a pawl operable upon each actuation of the cutter for rotating Y the ratchet wheel whereby the cylindrical block lindrical block means for adjusting the cylis turned to present a new cutting surface at each cutting operation throughout a predetermined number of revolutionsof the block. 7. In a cutting machine, a'cylindricalcutting yblock composed ofy disks of fiber compositionhaving a distinct grain, the disks being arranged so that the grains thereof extend in different directions at right angles yto the axis of vthe block, a shaft extending through the disks to support thevsame, and a cutter having an edge extending longitudinally of the block. j

8. In a machine of the character described, a cutter, a table for supporting sheet material and having a slot extending transversely thereof, a cylindrical cutting block mounted to present a portion of its periphery through the slot and into the plane of the upper surface of the table, means for rotating the cyinder in the slot, and means for mounting Y the cylindrical block rotating means for adjustment along with the cylinder.

9. In a machine of the character described, a cutter, a table for supporting sheet material and having a slot extending transversely thereof, a cylindrical cutting block mounted to present a portion of its periphery through the slot and into the plane of the upper surface of the table, and a plurality of rollers for lengaging the cylindrical block to hold it in slot. V

l0. In a machine of thev character deproper alinement in the scribed, a cutter, acylindri'cal cutting block, 100

and means comprising gears. for rotating the cylindrical block, after. each actuation of the cutter, through a very small arc so that the lines of cut on the block arefclose to.-

gether, one of the gears being connected 105 directly to the block, and this gear and its driving gear having onean oddV number' of teeth and the other an even number of teeth so that the block is Vrotated throughout a` predetermined number of revolutions before 110 Y cutting operations are repeated upon exactly the same portions of the cylindrical surface of the block.

11. In a machine of the character described, a cutter, a cylindrical cutting block 115 composed of disks of felted ber material having a distinct grain, a shaft passing centrally through the disks to support the same, and means for intermittently rotating the block to' present constantly new` cutting sur- 120 faces as cutting operations proceed whereby the cutting surface is constantly changed throughout the cutting operations'and conf tinuously compacted to present an effective cutting surface. s v

l2. In a machine of the character described, a cutter, and a cylindrical cutting block composed of disks of felted fiber material having a distinct grain, the disks be- :ing arranged with the grain portions of the 1.30 f

ledges of the disks pointing radially in dif;

Y Aferent directions, the cylindrical block being rotatable so that fresh cutting surfaces composed of disks of felted ber material,-

lon the cylindrical surface of the block may be provided for co-operation with the cutter. 13. In a machine of the character described, a cutter, a-cylindrical cutting block each disk having edge portions cut across the ain of the material, a shaft passing cenv trally through the disks to support the same with the grains of theJ disks pointing radially in different directions, and means for intermittently rotating the block to present constantly new cutting surfaces as cuttingoper ations proceed whereby the cutting surface remains fresh throughout the cutting operations and the block itself constantly resurfaced.

2o 14C. In a machine of the `character Kde-p scribed, means for cutting sheet material comprising a cutter, Vand a cylindrical cutj ting block for co-operation with the cutter composed of felted ber material, having cutter,

present successively a predetermined p1u` rality vof cutting.` surfaces to the cutter be? l 'fore anoperation is repeated on thesame cutting surface of the block.`

In gtestimony Whereofl have signed my name to this specification.

" HARVEY L. GLiDDEN`. 

